Somehow, the fact that Mike Itkis is an open atheist is one of the least interesting things about his campaign for Congress. Even if you’re not familiar with his name, you might be familiar with the headlines about how a long-shot candidate made a sex tape to promote his platform.

Itkis is running as an independent in the race for New York’s 12th Congressional District. This is a seat that should be a lock for Democrats; the drama in the newly redrawn district took place entirely in the primary, where Rep. Jerry Nadler easily beat out Rep. Carolyn Maloney in a battle between the two Democratic heavyweights. Since then, there hasn’t been much to discuss as far as this race goes.

That is, until Itkis put some skin in the game.

Three months ago, the 53-year-old Itkis posted a video on PornHub of him having sex with adult performer Nicole Sage, an encounter that was filmed last year. He didn’t call attention to “Bucket List Bonanza,” however, until an interview with City & State during which he highlighted his sex positive platform and said the video was a “conversation piece.” ...